The latest version of this security-oriented distro can be downloaded from Softpedia

Qubes 2 desktop

Qubes, an open source operating system designed to provide strong security for desktop computing and which is based on Xen, X Window System, and Linux and can run most Linux applications and utilize most of the Linux drivers, is now at version 2 Beta 3.

Another Qubes development build has been released, and despite the Beta tag attached to it, it’s believed to be the most stable iteration so far.

“Even though it is still called a ‘beta,’ most users should install it, because, we believe, it is the most polished and stable Qubes edition. Looking back, I think it was a mistake to use this alpha/beta/rc nomenclature to mark Qubes releases, and so, starting with Qubes R3 we will be just using version numbers: 3.0, 3.1, etc,” stated the developer.

Highlights of Qubes 2 Beta 2:

• The distribution features a seamless GUI virtualization for Windows 7-based AppVMs and support for HVM-based templates (e.g. Windows-based templates);

• A much more advanced infrastructure for system backups has been implemented and it is now possible to make and restore backups to/from untrusted VMs;

• It is now possible to set “autostart” property on select VMs;

• The installer is now shipped with multiple kernel versions (3.7, 3.9, and 3.11);

• A significant amount of cleanups and fixes have been implemented.

Keep in mind that, unlike the rest of Qubes, which is distributed under a GPL v2 license, the Qubes Windows Support Tools are not open sourced and are distributed as binaries only, under a proprietary license.

Check out the official announcement for a complete list of updates and upgrade instructions.

Download Qubes 2 Beta 3 right now from Softpedia. Remember that this is a beta version and it should NOT be installed on production machines. It is intended for testing purposes only.